In many areas of electronics, in particular entertainment electronics and motor vehicle electronics, increasing use has been made of touch-sensitive devices. The touch-sensitive devices are typically used as a touchpad or together with a display device as a touch screen in electronic apparatuses such as mobile phones (Smartphones), laptops and table computers. Such touch-sensitive devices are also used in motor vehicles, for example as a component of a multimedia unit which is integrated into the motor vehicles.
In certain situations, in particular in the case of use in a motor vehicle, it is desirable to embody the touch-sensitive device in such a way that it can be operated by the user without visual contact. It is therefore possible to ensure that the user (e.g. a driver of the motor vehicle) is not distracted from the events on the road around him while he is operating the touch-sensitive device.
It is already known to equip touch-sensitive devices with haptically detectable feedback. The feedback is conventionally implemented by means of mechanical actuators, which, when a user touches an upper side of the touch-sensitive device, bring about a movement of the upper side which can be detected by the user. Such a movement, which is typically directed perpendicularly to the upper side, is perceived by the user, for example, as a confirmation of an input on the touch-sensitive device.
Such mechanical actuators for bringing about the haptic feedback to the user are generally arranged underneath the upper side of the touch-sensitive device. However, this arrangement brings about a considerable increase in a height of the touch-sensitive device starting from the upper side, and therefore is in conflict with the requirement to increasingly reduce the size of electronic apparatuses. It is also frequently not easily possible to perform operator control of conventional touch-sensitive devices without visual contact. In addition, in such touch-sensitive devices there are numerous further disadvantages which are frequently not yet perceived by the experts in the field.